February is the month where we start seeing signs of the approaching spring, with bulbs appearing, wildlife waking up, and light levels increasing. Although this month’s garden jobs mostly consist of tidying and getting things ready for spring, there are also some early sowing and growing tasks to do to give you a head start.
February gardening checklist:
- Start planning your seed sowing year
- Prune late-summer flowering Clematis, cutting back stems to healthy buds around 30cm from base
- Pot up containers with hardy spring bedding, such as Primroses and Wallflowers
- Trim back Ivy, Virginia creeper and other climbers if they have outgrown their space.
- Sprinkle slow-release fertiliser around the base of roses and other flowering shrubs
- Prepare vegetable beds for sowing by weeding thoroughly, then cover with thick layer of compost
- Protect the blossom of outdoor peaches, nectarines, and apricots with fleece if frost is forecast.
Garden maintenance in February:
Are you wanting to welcome more wildlife into the garden this year? Install a nest box with a camera, so you can watch birds raising their broods in spring. The perfect way to keep track of the wildlife you’re welcoming into your outdoor space. However, you will want to protect your fruit and vegetable crops. Net fruit and vegetable crops to keep the wildlife off.
To ensure successful growth and flowering throughout the year, you will need to ensure you’re clearing and pruning the appropriate plants. If snow falls, knock it off evergreen shrubs, hedges, and conifers to prevent the branding from snapping under the weight. Sort out and clean up canes, plant supports, and cloches ready to use for spring. And finally, Improve the soil by spreading garden compost or well-rotted manure over beds and forking it.
Pond maintenance is crucial at this time of year to ensure you’re ready for the spring. Remove the pond netting that you installed in autumn to catch falling leaves. Then clear away any old plant debris from pond margins and scoop out any leaves that have fallen into the water.
As the days get longer and brighter, your lawn grass will continue to grow. Now is the time to clean and service your mowers and garden power tools, so that they’re in good order for spring.
Shannon Lloyd